Step 5: Done!!

Step 6: But wait, there's more... Smacklights!!

Ever seen those kids' shoes with the little LED lights that light up each time the little nipper takes a step? Ever notice how kids outgrow their sho...

One of my neighbors put a pile of mtb tires out on the street for garbage pick up. Naturally, my hunter-gatherer instincts took over and I dragged them all back to my lair to gloat over. It's possible that I have too many old bikes (nevah!). May as well have too many tires as well. Especially nice ones. And I truly dig the tread patterns and want to make everything out of them. I was working on a wallet design, and then the contest came up and gave me the kick I needed to make it into an instructable.

yeah, so anyway...MTB Tires are cool. And this knobby thing lights up when you drop it. If you're like me, you always have a few extra tires around that you can't possibly throw away, because well, they're so cool. Now you can have a wallet that is as cool as a knobby mountain bike tire. And if you go for the optional drop sensor... If you drop your wallet, the lights fire off like, um i dunno what. some tiny french polizei car inside your wallet your something. You or a person with you is bound to notice and see where your cool wallet went, and if you're in a crowded nightclub or whatever, it lights up every time someone kicks it or steps on it.Interestingly, the lights also go off if you smack your friend's head with it. You can't beat that for entertainment.

very well done. funny and informative. amazing wallet. Although i don't plant to make the wallet (i already have about a dozen various DIY wallets I've made lying around) the impact sensors from shoes have inspired me to all kinds of stuff. I only have one thing to say. did you use backing washers on the rivets? it didnt look like it in the pictures, or if you did, I couldn't tell. Woulndt that make it possible for the rivets to pull through?

ilpug, with this particular tire used the rubber is so hard that actually retained the rivets properly and they haven't popped through. this was a bonus because I wanted to keep the weight and bulk down. putting the rivet in the thick part of the tread rather than the groove helps. glad you were inspired by the impact light re-claim. would love to see what kind apps you've come up with for them.

hello! i would first of all like to say this is the coolest wallet i have ever seen. i am definitely planning to make due to various local bike stores throwing away old tires, but i still need to acquire a rivet gun and rivets. what is the cheapest brand and what size rivets do you use? i cannot wait to make this!

Dudes, to make holes you can, use hand held hole punches, that come in varying diameteres, punch under wooden surface, very effective.I do like the rivet detail, but theirs also an option of using press studs and zips.explore sum more, but i think your wallet is rad!

LOL. This is cool. Question though... since you're smacking it on the table to make them light up, and when on feet you have all of that weight on your side to make them light up, would it dropping to the floor actually be enough pressure to make the lights go off?

great! i have, and i think they're a perfect match. post pics or make instructable of it. was thinking snaps might be a good closure fastener, or the magnetic method, which other instructablers claim doesn't erase credit cards.

like i said, i'm in the process of doing it now, the curve put in the innertube is proving to make it more difficult than i had thought. i will post pics when it's finished though :) i probably won't make a full instructable on it since it's mainly just combining to people's ideas, might ask if the author of the other wallet would be up for collaborating as i'm not using a sewing machine for mine. if i do i will make sure to add a link to this page.

idea for even more improvement: add sound to it and a (if you know how to make one) remote controlled low-voltage flat capacitor taser in case someone else decides to pick it up. or if your friends think it would be a good idea to hide your wallet.

Thanks! I've found that some tires can be a lot tougher to mold to your wishes than others. I warn you, this can be a challenging project. I think the design could be improved by making it more complicated. Like really cutting up the tire and putting it on more of a frame. For this instructable I wanted to keep it really simple, and the choice of tire made a big difference. Look in the comments below for some good design suggestions people have made...

not sure if it's the kevlar or not. hard to say w/o seeing it. It's true that some tires have really thick, springy sidewalls and may require a different design. I've been thinking that I'd like to add to the design so that it will get really flat with more tire types. My thought is to add light rigid rectanglular plates to the inside and rivet them in. these could be little stiff pieces of plastic or aluminum, and they would go behind the inner tube sleeves, right up against the inside of the tire. Really I think the best might be to combine my design with the magnetic closure of the 'bitchin inner tube wallet': http://www.instructables.com/id/EWHFR7GF0X1RVBY/and put rivets (or bolts or thick thread or whatever you choose) all the way thru the metal plate and the tread. that way the wallet gets nice and flattened and has that great mag-closure. i thought about something along these lines originally, but didn't want the weight, and assumed magnets would be too dangerous to keep near mag-striped cards. i haven't played with hard drive magnets, but I know there are some nice flat rectangular neodymiums for sale on line.The mtb wallet is a pretty challenging design. it definitely gets easier after making one or two that you just assume won't turn out well, just to give yourself a feel for the medium and the particular tire. It's tricky, but I hope you can figure out a design you like.

Okay, I took it out from under the ATV, and it did nothing. Anyway, I ended up sewing on pouches made of innertube with SMALL wire using pliers, a needle, and wax (for lubrication). It looks okay, but yours is better. What size innertube did you use?

If you look closely, you can see the wires in pics 3,5, and 6. In picture 5, you can see the Kevlar fibers runnung above the purple. Also in pics 4 and 5 you can see the purple additive that is supposed to stop leaking air.

Wow, Nice!! that turned out really cool. It looks like a perfect candidate to add the magnetic closure design of the 'bitchin inner tube wallet'. i like the idea to use snaps as well. nice use of the inner tube to make the pockets. thanks for uploading all the pics!

thanks! without a riveter, i suggest sewing with a 'speedy stitcher' or just a thick needle, or even possibly a sewing machine (might have to be industrial one, though). or, check out john smith's design here in the comments, sewn together with wire. another thing that comes to mind is metal grommets. these come in a little kit, and are essentially rivets that you hammer together by hand. very cool. also the riveter is a pretty cheap little hand tool as i recall, and really useful, should you be considering getting one.

Yo Guys... Might be a good call to bore a hole through both bits, and use a small electronics cable tie to hold the pieces together. Once you clip the extraneous length off the cable tie, you'll need to sand off the rough edges so it doesn't offer a hand- or pocket- or money-ripping burr. Blue skies love Roy

Another option would be to replace the smack LEDs with a programmable soundchip. With changeable phrases that go off when you smack it. Kind of like ring tones ;) Example: "Ziggy" from Quantum Leap you smack it and it whines to give up the money...

hehe could come back and bite your ass though, what if someone noticed because of the lights and then they stole it, when otherwise they might not notice it? But still good idea, especially for hitting people with

Recommendation: get some of those super strong neodyium magnets from a dead hard drive, and mount them at the ends under the rubber, so when you close it, they snap together and hold it all shut. Don't get them too close to the CC mag strips tho. They are strong, but only at short distances. Hmm. Maybe a button snap would be better. Or maybe put a piece of metal on one side, where the cards will be, and the magnet on the other side.

thanks a lot. wow. how cool. I'm a little shocked, in a gratified good way. thanks vegas, and thanks to everyone for the feedback, the votes, and entering all the great wallet designs! I learned that it can take a significant effort to instructable-ize something thoroughly and clearly. But especially if the instructable subject is something you're really into and care about, it's totally worth it.

thats awesome! i just got a motorcycle and and looing for a new walet. this thing would be great only im looking for something with a chain. think that mayb ea motorcycle chain would be too much?lol. but yeah, looks awesome. oh yeah, does it hold cash? thanks

Hey ineluctable - I just noticed when I was checking out the competition that your project, while it shows up on a search for "wallet challenge" because of the keyword you used, has not actually been added to the Wallet Challenge group. It's tagged with the keyword, but not part of the official group. I'm new here and not sure if others can add it for you, but it should be a matter of clicking a "add this project to a group" link in the Groups sidebar on the left. Excellent wallet by the way. As far as I can tell, I'm currently winning the challenge, so I'm probably shooting myself in the foot by commenting here, but I needed to let you know so you could be eligible for the prizes. I wouldn't want to win on a technicality if yours got more votes. Best, Bob

Not only is this bad ass AND sensorily pleasing but it beats a tire fire any day. And rather than looking like an idiot while you dirty yourself on the party room floor chasing an invisible entity someone will call 'dork' you will look like the only one with enough sense to pay attention to the pretty lights. i want one.